The Love That Never Dies
by theatrelove123
Summary: Since he fled to Castanet after Essa's death 18 years ago, Gale's life has lost meaning. Until he runs into Essa's reincarnation, Angela, who remembers nothing of her past life! Will Gale be able to love her even though he'll inevitably lose her again?
1. Chapter 1

**Another new story? GASP! Yes, fanfictioners, you've heard right; I've got a new story on the horizon! This one is about Angela and the Wizard. I really like writing from his point of view, so be expecting quite a few updates for this story soon! I'll also be happy to take suggestions for this story, as I don't know exactly where I'm going to go with it. Soooo, if you've got any suggestions/feedback/compliments/critiques that you would like to give me, please review! The more reviews, the faster I update this story :). I hope that you enjoy it!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harvest Moon.**

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><p>Gale took a sip from his coffee cup and sighed. Being the appointed "fortuneteller" in a town filled with hormone crazy teenage singles was definitely <em>not<em> the easiest job in the world. 'Read his heart for me!' 'Tell me what she likes the best!' Gale considered himself to be a patient man, but the questions just _never seemed to stop;_ he couldn't help getting a bit exasperated by the daily throng of people that came in and out of his home.

Because of his constant visitors, he had grown to tremendously appreciate moments where he could just sit by himself with a cup of coffee and revel in his solitude. He liked his privacy, and enjoyed simply sitting alone with his thoughts more than anything else.

Gale _loved_ to think. He supposed that it sounded strange, loving to do something that probably seemed an established part of life to most. He loved to ponder things, to consider them. He loved to analyze, to review, and to look at situations in many different lights. He would be perfectly content to sit quietly for a day, thinking about everything under the sun. Everything except for his past.

The wizard visible shivered as thoughts of the past came rushing into his head, through a floodgate that just wouldn't close. Even though he considered thinking his best of friends, nostalgia was his worst enemy. Every time he thought it had gone, thought that his past was officially behind him, it would suddenly come bouncing back. He'd often wish that he could just lock his nostalgia in a cage with a bunch of vicious, wild dogs. Unfortunately, Gale's memory was essentially photographic. He never forgot anything, which was why nostalgia wouldn't, and _couldn't_, leave him alone. He supposed that some wishes were just too good to come true.

Gale took another sip of coffee and the bad memories were nowhere to be found. _Coffee is the cure to all of my ailments, _he mused as the drink's rich scent traveled up his nose. At that moment, for one of the few times that he could recall in his entire busy life, the wizard was perfectly relaxed. So relaxed that, after he placed his coffee cup down on the table, he fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

At least, that's what he'd anticipated.

Gale's eyes opened, but he was no longer in his house. He was in a field. _The_ field. The field where he'd gotten married to her.

He saw her and a slightly younger version of himself standing at the head of the field. It was nighttime, and there was nobody else around besides the two of them. Gale watched as his younger self smiled at her, brushed the short brown hair behind her ear, and then pulled her into a kiss.

"_No!" _Gale yelled, as he ran towards himself, but didn't seem to get any closer. He'd had the same dream before, and every time he tried to get close enough to warn himself of the horrible future to come, but to no avail. His younger self never noticed him until the last moment. And, when he did notice, young Gale always looked towards him with the same confused, ignorant expression, as if he were saying, _'What? What do you mean that I'm not going to be this happy forever? What do you mean that she's going to die?'_

The scenes then began changing rapidly. He was with her at their new home. He was eating dinner with her on Christmas Eve. They were in bed together, falling asleep as they held each other. The scenes continued changing without hesitation, taking Gale through nearly every memory he'd had with her. It was as if his own mind was working against him, trying to make him feel the most pain possible.

Finally, the montage of scenes slowed, and Gale found himself in a hospital. This memory was always the last one that played, her last moments. Gale wanted nothing more than to wake up, but, to his dismay, he could not. He would be forced to watch her die, and he couldn't do anything about it.

There was his younger self again, although this younger self was a few years older than he'd been in the field. He was holding onto her hand tightly, tears streaming down his face.

"_Essa," _he whispered. _"Please don't go…I still need you."_

The woman, who had once been so filled with life, looked frail and sickly. She had come down with a horrible disease just a little while after they'd gotten married.

"_I know you do." _She told him, a slight smile on her lips. _"We'll meet again someday, though. I'm sure of it…Our love will never die."_

"_I love you Essa." _He said. The woman laughed lightly.

"_I'll always love you, Gale." _She told him with such sincerity that, for a moment, the younger Gale looked as though he thought that she might be alright. But the older Gale knew better. For, only a few moments after she'd said those words, her pale hand let go of his tan one, and her arm lay limp. Her heart stopped beating. She was gone.

Gale watched in horror as his younger self broke down into tears on her bedside. He knew that, a few days after that scene took place, his younger self fled the town they'd lived in together, never to return. He would then come across Harmonica Town, and settled down there in a small house, making good money as a fortuneteller. He would live in that house for eighteen more years before the younger Gale caught up with where the older Gale was in the present. He couldn't believe it. It had been _eighteen years_, and yet the memories still haunted him as persistently as if they'd only just occurred.

"_Essa!" _he cried. He found that he could not look away from the pitiful sight that was his living, sobbing body laying over her dead one.

"_Essa!" _he shouted again, this time louder._ "I thought you said that you would love me forever! Why did you have to leave me! Answer me!"_

"Wizard?" a outside voice entered into the dream, taking Gale by surprise. He didn't actually _expect_ anyone to answer him. Essa was dead. She had been dead for eighteen years. There was no way that she could answer him, even if he wanted her to.

"Wizard, are you alright?" the voice persisted. _That's weird, _Gale thought. Was it just his imagination, or did it kind of sound like…No, that was impossible. It couldn't be.

"Wiiizaaaard!" the voice sounded again, this time accompanied by some prodding. Gale, who was undeniably awake due to the insistent voice calling to him and the prodding that had followed, felt momentarily thankful. The dream was over. He had managed to escape his past for the remainder of the day. _Now, _he thought, _onto more pressing matters, like the person who shook me and called to me just then. If it's another one of those lovestruck adolescents, I swear-_

Gale opened his eyes, and his thought stopped short, mind immediately running blank. He couldn't believe what his eyes were telling him was true.

"Essa?" he asked incredulously, looking up wide eyed at the girl who'd been calling him. She had the same chocolate brown hair, the same wondering eyes, the same _everything_.

"Who?" the girl asked, looking at him in puzzlement. Gale's breath hitched. _Goddess, she doesn't just look like her, she sounds like her too!_

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked, skeptically. She then continued, figuring that she should explain herself. "The people around town told me that a Wizard lived here. I was curious, so I decided to visit. And when I came in, I found you asleep on your table! You were mumbling something…something about a girl, and…Are you even listening to what I'm saying?" Gale wanted to tell her that, yes, he was listening. He was hanging on every word. It was the first time he'd heard her voice in eighteen years. He wanted to speak, say something to her, but he found that his mouth could not form the letters.

The girl took his lack of response and his widened eyes as a sign that he needed help. "Are you feeling sick? Do you want me to take you to the clinic?" she asked, and put what was meant to be a comforting hand on his shoulder. Her touch sent shivers throughout his body, completely overwhelming him.

Gale then fainted on the spot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Yay, chapter two is finally posted! I've also started writing chapter 3, which is always a good thing :). The story picks up from this point on, now that Gale and Angela have met. Please review and tell me what you think! The more reviews, the faster I'll update this story. Enjoy!**

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><p>Gale woke up to the smell of pancakes. <em>Hmmm…that's odd,<em> he thought, _I don't remember making any pancakes._

He opened his eyes, and found himself laying in his bed. Searching for the source of the appetizing smell, his gaze traveled until it rested upon a petite, brown haired girl cooking at his countertop.

Immediately, Gale's mind shifted into over-drive as he tried to absorb everything that was going on.

_Okay, so there's a girl who looks and sounds just like my dead wife making me pancakes…_He tried to convince himself that, him being a wizard, stranger things had happened. But that was far from the truth. This was definitely the strangest thing that had ever happened to Gale in his very long life.

The girl, seeming to sense the fact that he was awake, turned around. She smiled at him dazzlingly, causing his cheeks to blush deep crimson.

"You're awake! Finally!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry that I surprised you when I came in; I didn't mean to startle you. And when you fainted, I got so worried…"

"…Yes." was all Gale could say. Even if he was past the point of fainting, he was still really weirded out by the situation.

"You must be starving! Here, Wizard, have some food." she told him. He nodded, and walked down the stairs in a trancelike state. The girl placed two plates of pancakes on the table, and then sat down across from him.

He stared at her for a moment before remembering himself. "I…I'm sorry but...I don't believe I caught your name."

"Oh, my name? It's Angela." She said looking at him brightly, just like Essa used to. Even though she claimed that her name was Angela, Gale had an odd feeling about her. And it wasn't _just_because she looked and sounded like Essa, there was something else; a sort of sense of familiarity that he just couldn't ignore.

"Nice to meet you…uh, Angela. Most of the people in the village...call me Wizard...but you can call me Gale." he told her. He normally didn't tell people his name that fast, but he felt like he already knew this girl. Probably because of whom she was, or at least appeared to be.

_Essa's reincarnation. _The words popped involuntarily into his mind, and he tried to shake them off. _No, _He thought_. Can't go making assumptions..._

"Alright, Gale." She said. It was obvious that she didn't know him. _Would she remember me? _He wondered. _Do reincarnated people remember anything? _Gale had read up on many subjects, but never reincarnation. He didn't know a thing about reincarnation. His speculations were based off of nothing more a gut feeling that screamed, _'This is your wife!'_

"So how long have you been a fortuneteller, or wizard, or whatever it is you are?" Angela asked, obviously tiring of the silence and looking for some conversation.

"...Eighteen years." He replied. "I am a wizard...but people in this town don't ask me to do more complicated magic...So I mostly just tell fortunes."

To his surprise, Angela nodded in understanding. People rarely took him so seriously when he brought up the fact that he could do magic! "Well, could you tell my fortune then?" she asked.

"Of course." He said, getting up from his seat without hesitation. It was possible that he could use this as an opportunity to prove or disprove his theories about the young farm girl. "Do you…want me to clear the plates?"

"Nope, I've got it." Angela said, smiling at him before picking up the dishes and placing them in his dishwasher.

"Come, then…have a seat." He invited her over to the small table in the center of his home. She nodded thoughtfully before taking a tentative seat.

Slowly, Gale removed the crystal ball from under the table, and placed it in a small purple holder. The ball glowed a faint blue, and images swirled like smoke inside of it.

Like most people seeing a crystal ball for the first time, Angela was staring at it in amazement.

"Is it real?" she finally asked, not moving her big brown eyes from the ball on the table.

"Yes. Did you...expect a fake?" Gale asked, smiling at her astonishment. It never got old, showing people his crystal ball. Reactions ranged from skeptical to astounded; they were always amusing.

"I wasn't sure." She replied. "People called you a fortuneteller, but I wasn't sure if it was just cards and gimmicks…"

"Would you...like to touch it?" Gale chuckled. The look on her face resembled that of a small child who was just about to try a new kind of candy for the first time.

"Can I _really_?" she asked.

"Go ahead." He invited her. Angela nodded, and tentatively stuck a hand out to touch the orb.

"It's warm." She said before pulling back.

"Yes...that warmth is the magical energy inside of it." he explained. "Now…Angela…are you ready to get your fortune told?" She nodded.

"Okay...I'll need to know a few things first." He went on. "When's your birthday?"

"Spring twenty second." She stated evenly. At this, Gale momentarily gasped in surprise. Spring twenty second was the day Essa had passed away.

"And…h-how old are you exactly?" he asked, trying not to let his voice waver too much.

"Eighteen." She said, and Gale had to work to keep a straight face. Essa had been dead for eighteen years. Angela was born on the exact day that Essa died. That _couldn't_ be coincidence, could it?

_Essa's reincarnation. _The words popped into his head again, but he shooed them away. He refused to conclude anything until he was absolutely certain; he didn't want to get his hopes up.

"Okay...close your eyes...and clear your mind." He instructed, and she followed instantly.

"Now, breathe deeply." Slow, even breaths began to come out of the farm girl's mouth as Gale went to work.

As he began to concentrate, the crystal ball quickly flooded with images. Most of them were predictable; he saw Angela making new friends with the villagers and being generally well liked by everyone. He saw her struggling a bit as she did farm work for the first time, but catching on by the end of her first week. He also saw her getting a free cow once she went to visit Cain, which would surely help her off to a good start when it came to taking care of animals.

But Gale didn't really care about all of this. There were things more important to him that he wanted to see. That he _needed_ to see. _I'm being selfish,_ he thought. _But I have to know for sure._

The wizard muttered some words beneath his breath, and images in the ball began moving backwards, as if he were quickly sifting through files in a filing cabinet. He saw glimpses of her before she came to Castanet; Angela at college, Angela as a teenager, Angela as a little kid, Angela as a baby, and then...

The light being emitted from the crystal ball flickered for a moment as the images stopped appearing. Gale sat there, disappointed. _Well, _he supposed. _I guess that's that._

Just as he was about to tell Angela that the reading was over, however, Gale noticed a faint sliver of something beginning to float through the ball. And then appeared another, and then ten others…

The images were coming again. Images from before Angela was born. Gale held his breath in anticipation as he waited for them to fully show themselves to him. The only sound in the entire house was Angela's measured breathing.

Surely enough, there he was. It was like he was watching his dream all over again. He saw himself inside the crystal ball, crying on top of Essa's dead body, pleading for her to come back to him. The dream he'd watched so many times before was then cut off. A bright flash of light exploded within the ball, and the scene shifted. One second Essa lay dying, the next second Angela was being born.

…_Holy Harvest Goddess._

For what was perhaps the millionth time that day, Gale was at a loss for words. The girl across from him not only looked, sounded, and acted like his dead wife; she actually _was_ his dead wife.

He sat there in stunned silence for a few moments, just staring at her. The way her eyes were closed…the way she was breathing…the way that her head was at a tilt, and how she was leaning in ever so slightly towards the crystal ball…

He could have kissed her right then and there if he wanted to. And _oh_, how he longed to kiss Essa again…

"Gale?" Angela asked, quickly taking him out of his daze.

"Y-y-yes?" he stuttered in reply. Gale felt ashamed of himself. The girl in front of him may have been his wife reincarnated, but she had no idea who he was. It would have been horrible of him to kiss a girl that didn't think she knew him! Certainly it would deter her from ever coming back to visit him again, and he couldn't stand the thought of that.

"Are you almost done?"

"Yes...we've just finished." Gale told her, doing his best to compose himself.

"So what did you see?" Angela asked excitedly as she opened her eyes. Gale considered things for a moment before answering.

"You'll make a lot of...friends in the village." He said, decidedly not telling her what he'd just found out. "People will like you very much...You might have a bit of trouble...starting up on the farm," she looked at him, eyes instantly becoming filled with worry.

"B-but nothing a bit of hard work...won't eventually sort out." he assured her. Both the wizard and the farmer then sighed in relief; Angela because she wouldn't have too much trouble on the farm if she worked hard, and Gale because he hated to see her face looking so sad.

"Also, Cain will give you...a free cow if you stop by his barn...so I recommend visiting there soon." He finished, although he had to fight the urge to continue on. _Not yet, _he told himself. _Just be patient…_

"You're amazing, Gale. You know that, right? The way you tell fortunes like that, it's phenomenal!" Angela told him, brown eyes sparkling.

"Thank you…but it's not really that impressive. Even amateur wizards can do some fortunetelling…" he trailed off, embarrassed by her praise.

"Well _I_ think it's impressive." She said as she stood up. "Should I pay you?"

"No! No, no it's free...My services are free." He told her hurriedly. The last thing he wanted was for her to be paying him. Gale figured that, if anything, _he_ should've been the one paying _her_.

"Alright, that's great!" She said. "It was great meeting you, Gale. I'll visit again soon, 'kay?"

"Definitely." Gale nodded.

"Well, goodbye then!"

"Goodbye Essa…" he sighed wistfully as she began to walk towards the door.

"What was that?" Angela called back.

"Oh! N-nothing…I'll see you!" he stammered. Angela then smiled at him once more before closing his door behind her.

Silently, Gale walked over to his big armchair. He stood in front of it for a moment, then plopped down with his head in his hands.

The fact that he had sat in that very same chair drinking coffee only a couple of hours ago was unfathomable. A couple of hours ago, Gale had only been dreaming about Essa, not talking to her! A couple of hours ago, his life, albeit lonely, had not been particularly complicated. But as soon as Angela the farm girl walked into his house, everything had changed.

Was he happy? Gale wasn't completely sure. Part of him was ecstatic that Essa was back and that he would get a chance to be with her again. However, he found that having her alive and not being able to kiss her and hold her and love her was almost more painful than dreaming about her death. The whole thing was extremely bittersweet.

_Is it a sign that she found me? _He couldn't help but wonder. He wasn't sure how his situation really worked, as he assumed that most previous spouses of those who passed were dead by the time their loved ones were reincarnated and of age. But Gale wasn't dead; at the age of one hundred forty seven, but looking no older than twenty, the wizard was very much alive.

Gale sighed. He knew that he would end up telling her who she was and what she'd meant to him eventually. How could he not? It would be impossible to keep her past life a secret from her forever, especially if they continued to see each other. _I don't want to scare her by telling her right away, though._ He thought. _I've waited eighteen years, I can surely wait a little while longer._

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><p>Angela walked away from the wizard's house smiling broadly. <em>He seemed really nice, <em>she thought. _He also told me I'd make a lot of friends! And he wasn't all that bad looking either…_

Despite all of the positives Angela was sure had come out of her visit with him, she couldn't help but feel like something was a bit off. Gale had been giving her weird looks throughout the entire time she'd spent there, especially after he'd told her fortune. Even more odd was that the look he was giving her struck a chord of familiarity inside of Angela. For some reason, she felt as though she had met the wizard somewhere before, perhaps a long time ago?

_But that's impossible! _She thought, shaking her head. _Those heterochromatic eyes, that stutter…there's no way I'd forget if I'd met him before. Absolutely no way!_

Satisfied that she had never met the wizard before that day, Angela happily continued along path in central Harmonica town. She had a feeling that Gale and her would grow to be quite good friends.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hooray for chapter 3! This story is coming along, so I have a feeling I'll be updating it pretty often x). I hope you enjoy the chapter; please review with any thoughts, compliments, or criticism :). Enjoy!**

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><p>Gale walked purposefully through the Fugue forest. On a normal day he would have taken his time to admire the scenery as he walked, but today was different. Today he had a destination.<p>

Slowly and with slight hesitance, he approached the pink door that belonged to the witch's house. Vivi and Gale had been rivals ever since he'd moved to Castanet, mostly due to their shared love of Fugue mushrooms. You'd think that if two people had something like that in common, then they'd be pretty good friends. However, only one Fugue mushroom grows in the forest per day, meaning that only one person per day can have one. That's where things get complicated between the wizard and the witch.

As far as Gale knew, she'd been living by the swamp in the forest her entire life. Because of this, she claimed to have complete rights to all of the Fugue mushrooms in the forest, as they grew 'on her property'. Gale had then proceeded to point out to her that her property consisted of the swamp alone, and therefore did not extend to the territory where the Fugue mushrooms grew, so he had just as much right to pick them as she did.

In response, the witch had stepped on his foot. _Hard._ Gale never tried to reason with her again, after that. So he settled for just picking the mushroom whenever he came across it, regardless of what the witch believed were her rights. It wasn't like she left her swamp often enough to challenge him about it anyway.

Because of their constant conflict over the Fugue mushrooms, Gale tried like heck to avoid confrontation with the witch whenever possible. However, he couldn't avoid her this time, no matter how much he wished he could. He needed to have a talk with another semi-immortal, magical being like himself, and Vivi was his only local option.

He grasped the bronze knocker of her door, and knocked lightly a few times. No response, so he knocked again. Still nothing.

_That witch better not be ignoring me…_Gale thought, beginning getting sick of her lack of response. He _knew _that she was in there; it wasn't like she had anywhere else to go.

So he knocked again, louder this time, and accompanied his knock with words. "Vivian! It's me, Gale. Open up...will you?" This time his calling was met with a response.

"Hmmm? It's you Gale? Oh, what a shame, I'm busy right now. Come again when you've decided to revoke control of the Fugue mushrooms to me."

"Come on, Vivian...please. I _need_ you right now." He told her, emphasizing the word need.

There was a pause before he could hear the witch sigh on the other side of the door. "Fine, you can come in." she conceded. "I _do_ enjoy feeling needed after all." Gale could hear a lock click open, and, to his immense relief, he finally entered the witch's house.

The wizard had never been inside her house before, and was surprised to find it much different than he expected it to be. Much less…sinister.

"Nice place you've got here, Vivian. I never knew...that you had a thing for pink." He said.

Vivi just rolled her eyes in response. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. What made you come all the way out here looking for me? I haven't got all day, you know. I'm a busy witch."

"Well…it's about Essa." Gale explained, shifting uncomfortably where he stood. She looked at him solemnly for a few moments, seemingly deciding what to do.

"Come on. Take a seat." She offered, although it didn't sound like an offer. More like a command. Still, Gale happily obliged, hoping this meant that she'd take time to hear him out. You never knew when it came to the witch.

After a few more moments of silence, Vivi spoke. "Wasn't Essa the name of your dead wife?"

_Not so dead anymore, _Gale thought. But he just answered, "Yes."

The witch was starting to get impatient with him. "And you wanted to talk about her with me, _why_?"

He sighed, knowing that this would be difficult. He'd have to start from the beginning in order for everything to make sense. "Vivian, do you know anything...about reincarnation?"

"No. It's not an area I've cared to dabble in very much. How does this relate to your dead wife, exactly?"

"That's just it…she's not dead anymore. She's been reincarnated...and the girl has moved into the town. She's the new farmer...Angela."

The witch looked at him incredulously for a moment before she burst out laughing. "Gale, surely you can't be serious!"

"_But I am_!" Gale shouted, his tan face turning slightly red. This caused the witch to stop laughing immediately. It was rare that Gale should raise his voice at anybody, so when he did, you knew that he meant business.

"Sorry, Gale." Vivi said sheepishly. "I guess reincarnations just aren't something that you hear about every day."

"I understand." Gale nodded, his voice having returned to its normal level. "I didn't believe it either...But I saw us together in the crystal ball...when I was telling Angela's fortune, so I know for sure I'm not mistaken. I guess I came here...because you're a semi-immortal too…I thought you might have some insight?" he looked to her hopefully.

Vivi sighed. "I'd like to help, but I can't really relate to the situation at hand here. I mean, sure, I've liked my fair share of mortals, had my fair share of affairs…but never something as committed as what you had with this girl."

There was a long pause before the witch spoke again. "If you don't mind me asking," she started, obviously treading carefully with her words. "Why did you bother getting married to the girl if you knew that you were just going to lose her?"

"Because I loved her." He said simply, a distinct look of sadness in his gaze. Vivi was considering his answer when the silence was suddenly broken by a loud knock on the door.

The witch rolled her pumpkin colored eyes. "Two visitors in one day? Geez, looks like I'm the witch of the hour…" Vivi then opened the bright pink door to reveal a green dress, short brown hair, and big brown doe eyes.

"Are you the witch?" Angela asked. Hearing her voice, Gale turned away from the door, closed his eyes, and sunk down into his seat a bit. _Please don't notice me, please don't notice me…_

"Gale? Gale, is that you over there?" Angela called as she noticed him. The wizard turned towards her and smiled awkwardly.

"It _is_ you!" Angela said, visibly brightening at the fact that there was a familiar face. "He's my friend. We met a few days ago." She explained to the witch.

Vivi, looking back and forth from a completely flustered Gale to an undeniably happy Angela, nodded in understanding.

"So, what brings you here to my 'humble abode'?" she asked the farm girl.

"I think you're the only one in town I haven't met yet, so I wanted to introduce myself." She stuck out a hand.

"You can call me witch." Vivi told her, taking the small calloused hand in her pale one and shaking it firmly. "It's nice to meet you, Angela. Gale's already told me all about you." She said, gesturing to the wizard with a smirk. Even if he had come to her for help, Vivi couldn't resist an opportunity to make Gale uncomfortable. It was just too amusing.

"Oh! That reminds me, Gale," Angela said, approaching the embarrassed wizard. "Your predictions came true! I got my free cow from Cain as soon as I left your house. I've also been making lots of new friends! There's Candace, Chase, Kathy, Owen…" Gale didn't like the way that she seemed to linger on Owen's name a bit longer than she did the others.

"...That's great." Gale said, forcing a smile. There was something about her face, something about the way she looked off kind of wistfully as she said Owen's name, that rubbed him the wrong way.

"And I am having a bit of trouble on the farm, but nothing unbearable, just like you said." As Angela spoke, a plan quickly formed in Vivi's head. She didn't know where exactly it had come from, but she loved it all the same.

"You're having a bit of trouble on your farm?" the witch interjected.

"Yup. It's been a lot of work, much more than I'd anticipated." Angela explained.

"Well, Gale here is pretty well accustomed to manual labor. I'm sure that he could help you out some time." She said, grinning mischievously as she watched the wizard's eyes widen.

"What? Witch...I'm not really that—"

"Nonsense!" she turned to Angela. "You see this? He's being modest."

"Gale, if you could help me out one day, that'd be great!" Angela said.

"He'll come by tomorrow." The witch said, much to Gale's dismay. The conversation revolved directly around him, but he couldn't manage to get a word in!

"Will you, Gale?" the farmer asked, looking at him expectantly. Gale didn't know whether he'd rather run and hide in a corner or pulverize the witch right then and there with his magic. He supposed that the former wouldn't do him any good, since his mind had already been made up for him. And the latter would have to wait until Angela left.

"Fine." He said, accepting his fate. "...I'll be there." Angela squealed, overjoyed, which made Gale happy. Maybe helping out on the farm wouldn't be so bad if he got to spend time with her again like he had a few days previous.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, witch, but I do have lots of stuff to do today before the sun goes down." Angela said, sounding slightly apologetic, but also rather eager to leave the isolated swamp house. "Goodbye, witch! Bye Gale!"

As soon as Angela had left the swamp cottage, Gale turned to Vivi.

"Vivian…" he started, his teeth slightly clenched but his voice remaining composed. "What did I tell you about interfering with things?"

The witch shrugged. "You said you came here for my help, so I helped you. You just got an hour of time to spend with the girl of your dreams. You should be grateful." She told him, a small smirk playing on her lips.

"You know...sometimes you can be a real witch." Gale replied irritably. He thought briefly about turning her into a frog like he had once before, but decided against it. Whether or not Vivi was human didn't matter; he'd still have to go to Angela's house tomorrow regardless.

"She was pretty cute, Gale. I can see why you like her."

"Of course she's cute! I married her before, didn't I?" Gale said, exasperated. Ever since the moment Angela left his house, Gale had been thinking about her and their situation nonstop, constantly changing his mind about how he felt. His head was aching, and he had yet to get a full night's sleep, as he couldn't get her face out of his mind for even a moment. It was exhausting.

"…I need a cup of coffee." Gale sighed, speaking to nobody in particular.

"You know, if you really want my advice…" Vivi started, snapping him out of his tired daze. "you should just give up. Call it quits. You loved this girl once, you lost her, and if you love her again you'll only lose her again! Why go through the heartache for a second time? Semi-immortals like us aren't supposed to love people, it only ends in loss." She looked at him, a bit of pity for the lovesick wizard in her glowing, orange eyes.

"No." he said, decisively.

"No? What do you mean, no?" Vivi asked, slightly taken aback. "I give you my honest, heartfelt advice, and you just say 'no'?"

The wizard nodded. "I think…I'm going to try to be with her again. I want to. I _need_ to."

"Well, what are you going to do when she dies? What then? She has to get old at some point, you know, and you've got about another five hundred years before you expire."

"...I'll figure something out." Gale said, and the witch had no choice but to accept it.

"I guess I didn't help my cause of your moving on by having you help her at the farm tomorrow, huh?" Vivi asked.

"No...you didn't. You meddlesome witch…" Gale said, and smiled. He then stood up slowly, and straightened his robes. "Thanks for...listening to me, Vivian. I think I'll head off for now...though I might come back."

"No problem!" Vivi said, also standing up. "But if you pick the Fugue mushroom that grew today, don't expect to ever be allowed in here again."

"Don't worry," Gale chuckled. "I'll leave it be for today...you've earned it." He gave a small wave, and turned around.

"Oh, Gale?" Vivi caught his arm just as he was about to leave.

"Yes?"

"Please…be careful." She said, looking at him seriously.

"Aren't I always?" he asked as he removed her arm from his sleeve, and continued on his way out the door.

After the door had shut, Vivi stared for a moment at the spot where the wizard had just stood and shook her head. She respected Gale for what he was doing, but also thought him incredibly foolish. _What is there to gain from loving a human? _she wondered. She just hoped that Gale's love wouldn't cause him to do anything drastic or stupid. Vivi hated to admit it to herself, but life would be kind of boring if there was no one to fight over mushrooms with.

Deciding that she didn't want to think about the wizard any longer, Vivi walked over to her big cauldron, and began to make herself a piping hot plate of frog-stew with a side of lakeweed.

_Now this, _she thought as she twirled a long strand of algae around her fork, _this is living!_


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey all! I'm coming to you live...from theatre camp! Yup! I'm currently boarding at a five week intensive theatre camp. Downtime is practically non existent; I have twelve hour rehearsal days and it's exhausting, but it's so worth it. Still, despite this extreme lack of downtime, I felt like I owed you all something after completing Dear Molly. I haven't updated most of my stories in the longest time, and didn't want to finish one and abandon the others 'til who knows when. So...if you're still interested...here's chapter four of The Love That Never Dies! I put lotsa effort into starting this up again, so hopefully you find it enjoyable :D. And if you need a refresher, please feel free to go back to the first three chapters.**

**Oh, also, as far as timeline goes, I'd say it's the beginning of her first summer. She waited quite some time to meet the witch, because she's so out of the way, so everything makes sense chronologically :p.**

**Now, on with the show!**

**~Theatrelove**

* * *

><p>As Gale reached the path that led to Angela's house, his breathing picked up. As he began to walk up said path, his hands began to shake. As he reached the doorway, he almost turned right around.<p>

_I can't do this._ He thought._ There's no way I can do this. I'm a fortuneteller, not a farmhand! I can't even recall the last time I did any physically taxing chore…And with Angela watching me the entire time…With Essa watching me I…_

"Gale? Is that you?" the ever familiar voice on the other side of the door caused Gale to snap out of his internal panic attack. Somehow, her voice always managed to calm him down and simultaneously make him even more nervous than he had previously been. Whatever the outcome of the next hour, Gale would be sure to give Vivi a good talking to. Perhaps he could turn her into a pink frog again? The more time passed, the more reasonable that prospect seemed.

"Yes, I'm here to help you…with the farm work." he replied. _No going back now._

"Oh, yes, I remember. I'll be right out!" Angela called. As he waited for her to join him, Gale became increasingly conscious of the fact that the clothes he was wearing were _not_ work clothes. His heavy purple cape would do him no favors in the sweltering summer sun, and his long white pants would only prove a hindrance when walking in the fields. He should've been prepared…why didn't he think of any of this in advance? He really should get out more often; maybe then he'd be better able to choose weather appropriate clothing.

"Alright, ready to go?" Gale looked to the left, and suddenly Angela was standing there. Unlike him, she had dressed perfectly for farm work; she wore a red and white stripped t-shirt, bootcut jeans, and light brown boots. Gale couldn't help but note how, even though she was dressed to work, she still managed to look pretty and well put together. It must be some sort of special talent, he supposed.

"Yes…I'm ready. What did you…have in mind?" he asked tenatively.

"Well, I was thinking that you could help me with watering the turnips! Since I'm just starting off, I planted a lot of them so that I'll be able to make some actual profit. It'd be really great if I could start working with the animals, knowing that you'll take care of the watering for me. Does that sound good?" she asked, as Gale wondered how it could ever _not_ sound good? Everything Angela said sounded good. Somehow, Gale knew that he'd water thousands of turnips for her, if she wished it. He was momentarily thankful that she was unaware of the influence she wielded over him; if she knew, she might ask him to do work that was much more difficult.

"…Sure. I'd be happy to." _Besides, watering turnips can't be that challenging._

Angela's face brightened. "Great! The well is to the left of the field. Oh, and here's the watering can!" Still smiling, she handed him an iron watering can. Gale was surprised when it almost dropped to the ground upon entered his hands; it was so _heavy!_

"If you need any help, feel free to call me over!" Angela told him. Gale decided that he couldn't let Angela know of his difficulties, so he settled for nodding in affirmation and begrudgingly carried the overweight watering can towards the well.

No sooner had he begun his work than Gale found out that, apparently, watering turnips _could_ be that challenging. Once the watering can was full to the brim, he had to carry it with two hands, else risk dropping it again. This made it exceedingly difficult to tip the can so that the right amount of water would collect in the soil surrounding the turnips. He had already drowned two of the poor plants by the time Angela noticed his plight from the animal barn across the way.

"Hey, Gale, are you okay over there? It looks like you're having a hard time." she asked, approaching him and looking concerned. Gale's face flushed pink in embarrassment; he could name every star in the solar system, but he couldn't water a simple turnip. What kind of wizard was he?

"No…I'm fine…really I—" Gale stopped short when he felt Angela's arms begin to wrap around his waist from behind, her hands taking hold of his arms.

"Gale, relax. I haven't upgraded this can since I bought it, so it's still pretty heavy. It isn't your fault you aren't used to it!" she laughed. "Now, there's an easier way to hold it. If you bring your left hand up here like this, and your right one down like this…" Angela started explaining the best way to use the watering can, but all that Gale could focus on was the way her hands directed his arms as she did so. Being this close to Angela, with her arms around him and her front pressed against his back, it was too intimate not to remind him of Essa. Since he'd met her, he had been trying to separate them in his mind and think of them as two different people; it wouldn't be fair to Angela if he combined her persona entirely with that of Essa. But there were small moments like this where the line between Angela and Essa blurred almost completely, and Gale could sense no difference between his deceased wife and the young farm girl. It was both wondrous and disturbing, he decided.

"So do you think you can do it now?" he heard Angela ask. If he were being quite honest with himself, he did not think he could do it because he hadn't heard a word Angela had spoken to him before this.

"…Yes." He said, because he was never very good at admitting when he didn't understand something.

Unfortunately, Angela was very perceptive. Something in Gale's face must have told her that no, he did not think he could successfully water her turnips, because when her hands left his hands and her arms left his hips (much to Gale's dismay), she wore a knowing smile. "How about you help out with the animals, instead? Milking a cow might be too advanced, but you can surely collect eggs from the chickens!"

Ah, collecting eggs from chickens. That was something even Gale could surely do. He'd been reading up on avian specimens, and felt fairly confident that he could handle them pretty well. Or at least, better than he could handle the watering can and those darned turnips.

"Of course…" he told Angela, "Just show me the way."

Following closely behind Angela, Gale found himself in a small coop surrounded by what appeared to be about a dozen white chickens.

"This is…a lot." He said, eyes widening at the sheer number of chickens contained in such a small space. "How did you…afford this many?"

"Oh, well Hannah gave me a rooster and two hens for free, and they just started multiplying after that!" she explained. "I haven't had a chance to upgrade, so I know the space is a little cramped, but they really are nice little guys, especially when they're sleeping like this."With a second look, Gale realized that she was right; all eleven hens, plus the one rooster, were sleeping peacefully. He had a gut feeling, however, that if they were all to wake up at once, then everything would turn to chaos.

"Most of them lay an egg each night, so all you have to do is reach underneath one and slowly pull out her egg, preferably without waking her up." Angela said. She then demonstrated, delicately wiggling her hand beneath the nearest chicken and pulling out a small white egg, leaving the chicken undisturbed.

"This should be…easy enough." he told her. He really wanted to redeem himself after his failure in tending the turnips, and collecting eggs seemed like a fine way to do it.

"Good. I like your attitude, Gale!" Angela smiled. "I'll be in the barn, so please don't be afraid to call me over if you need anything." she said. He then watched her make her way across the field to where the barn resided, leaving him alone with a dozen chickens.

_Alright, I can do this, _he thought, _slowly and carefully. _He cautiously approached the nearest hen. She was sleeping pretty soundly; he could see it in the way her eyelids were twitching ever so slightly, and her breathing was slow and deep. He then noted that her feathers demonstrated a peculiar pattern, one that he read was relatively uncommon in farm fowl. Perhaps he could pluck just one to help further his avian studies…?

_No!_ He reprimanded himself for even contemplating it. _I'm here to help Angela, not to collect feathers. But still, _he thought, _when will an opportunity like this ever arise again? If I don't take this feather, I could be missing out on a whole branch of avian study. I could even miss out on a new method of fortunetelling! People in some ancient civilizations used feathers for fortunetelling, didn't they? Yes, surely they did._

After thoroughly convincing himself that the feather was essential, Gale looked around, making sure that no one else was near, for he didn't want to have to explain himself. Once he had that Angela was still in the barn and they did not have any unexpected visitors, he reached, took the feather in his hand, and _pluck! _The feather was his.

He only had a few moments to savor his success, however. Almost immediately after he plucked the feather, the hen's beady eyes snapped open.

A staring contest of sorts commenced. No matter how long he stood there, silently, waiting for the crazed looking hen to close her eyes and fall back asleep, she just kept on staring at him.

Feeling a need to break the tense silence, Gale spoke. "H-hello…miss hen." He recalled watching a show at one point, probably one of the Animal Planet variety, where he saw that speaking to animals calmed them down. "I apologize…for stealing your feather. It would be…quite useful for my studies on avian creatures…so I figured you wouldn't mind too much." The hen only blinked in response.

Gale cleared his throat, not quite sure whether or not his strategy was working. "A-as you know…you are living on the farm of one miss Angela…And she told me…to collect your egg. So could I possibly…?" Once again, the hen did no more than blink. Seeing no other option, Gale took this as the hen granting permission. Slowly, so as not to ruin the connection he hoped he'd established with the hen, he slid his hand into her nest and collected the egg.

This time, the hen did not sit quietly in response. As soon as her egg was removed, she began clucking loudly and flapping her wings in anger. This woke up the other hens around her, and pretty soon Gale was caught in a violent flurry of squawking and pecking and clawing.

"Gale, what's going on?" _Ugh_, Gale groaned internally. Just when things couldn't get any worse, Angela had to hear the commotion and come over. He definitely wouldn't be getting out of this unscathed, both figuratively and literally.

"Oh my Goddess, what happened?" Angela gasped. "Are you okay?" Quickly, she grabbed Gale's arm and pulled him out of the frenzy inside the coop. Once they were outside and away from the chickens, he saw the look on her face quickly change from one of worry to the one of amusement.

"Y-you're covered! In feathers!" she laughed. "That's hilarious! I don't think I've ever seen so many chickens attacking one person at once. And they certainly left their mark…you've got plenty of feathers to bring home as souvenirs!" As Angela practically rolled on the ground with laughter, Gale, blushing furiously, decided that this was easily the most embarrassed he'd ever been in his very long life, and contemplated what on Earth he must've done to make the Harvest Goddess hate him so.

…Well, it wasn't _all_ bad. Seeing Ess—_Angela _this happy made the whole ordeal worth it. And he did get the feather he'd wanted, as well as a lot more that he didn't really want.

"I…guess I'm not very good with animals." he said, cracking a small smile.

"When the witch told me you were good with manual labor like farm work, I assume she wasn't quite telling me the truth?" Angela queried, a wry smile playing on pink lips.

"No…no she wasn't." Gale admitted. "The witch always has enjoyed putting me in…sticky situations." he explained with a sigh.

"Still, I'm really glad you came." She said, causing Gale's heart to skip. "Even though we got nothing done as far as farm work goes, it was nice having you around. It does get kind of lonely when I'm working by myself."

"I'll come every day." Gale said seriously before he could stop himself. "…T-that is, if you'd like me to."

Angela's eyes lit up. "I'd love to have you! Your company is always welcome." She told him, and Gale could tell it was earnest.

"Also…" he started, feeling suddenly bold. "I'd like to ask you something else."

"Hmm? What is it?" Angela asked, head cocked to the side.

"Well…you taught me some things today about farming that I didn't know…I'd like to…return the favor." He paused, gauging her reaction. He got no clear read, only watchful brown eyes telling him to elaborate. "So, I wanted to ask…if you'd go to the Firefly Festival with me. It's a village tradition…and I'd like to accompany you to your first." _And many more,_ he added silently to himself.

To Gale's utter relief, Angela smiled widely at his words. "A festival? That sounds fantastic; I'd love it if you'd take me!"

"…Wonderful." Gale responded, trying to remain composed despite his excitement. He had secured his wife's reincarnate as a date for the Firefly Festival, and he couldn't afford to botch things up.

Of course, he wasn't sure if Angela knew that the Firefly Festival was supposed to be a romantic festival. Probably not, considering she had never celebrated it before. But at least, Gale thought, it'd set a good context for him to confess his romantic interest in her. He wasn't quite sure if he wanted to divulge to her the entire story regarding Essa just yet, but he could at least tell her how he felt about her. Yes, the Firefly Festival would be the perfect setting for that.

"I'll…look forward to it." he told her sincerely. "And I'll…see you tomorrow?"

"Sure," Angela nodded, "come by tomorrow if you like. Thanks for a fun afternoon Gale, and enjoy your feathers!" This made Gale laugh, something he was sure the majority of Castenetians had never seen him do, and he waved to her as he walked down the path leading to Harmonica Town. All the while as he walked away, however, Gale yearned to turn around and go back to her.

_Not yet,_ he chided himself. _Patience is key. Soon…hopefully soon, everything will go back to the way it was meant to be._


End file.
